There don’t appear to be any players who measured out shorter than they were “supposed to be,” although a few did come out slightly taller.

Whereas last year’s crop of phenomenal freshman was not particularly gifted in terms of length, this year’s group seems to be as long and lanky as they come, which will help them out down the road significantly on the defensive end in particular. Let’s keep in mind that this is just one of the many things NBA teams will look at when it’s time to project these players as potential draft picks, but it’s clearly something that is of some importance to them.

Malcolm Lee has always been listed as a 6-4 combo guard, but with his near prototypical size for an NBA shooting guard, particularly with his superb 6-9 wingspan, there is really no need for that. He should even have the size to play the 3 at UCLA, although he clearly needs to add some bulk to his skinny frame.

Al-Farouq Aminu’s freakish 7-4 ¼ wingspan is pretty amazing considering he stands just 6-8. Tyreke Evans is also no slouch at 6-5 ½ and a 6-11 1/4 wingspan. Even more so than Lee, he’ll have no problem playing/defending either of the swing positions at the collegiate and professional levels, but still has the added bonus of possessing excellent playmaking skills, when he decides to show them. Probably the most interesting prospect of the bunch (at the moment at least), Demar DeRozan, passes the eye test and then some on first glance, and also looks solid on paper with his 6-6 size and 6-9 wingspan. He’s a very well built player who will have no problem whatsoever from a physical standpoint. The same can be said about Scotty Hopson, at 6-6 with a 6-10 ¼ wingspan. Greg Monroe, arguably the most naturally talented big man in this class, looks absolutely ideal for the NBA power forward position with his 6-10 ¼ height and 7-2 ¼ wingspan.

Measurements for the International team were not conducted. We do know from last year that Alexis Ajinca measured out at a shade under 7-1 in shoes with a near 7-9 wingspan.

With that in mind, let’s take a look back to last year’s measurements, which just happens to feature many of the top prospects in this year’s draft.

-We’ve already heard NBA teams wonder about the poor wingspan that Jerryd Bayless possesses, at just 6-3, especially considering that there are already positional concerns about him. O.J. Mayo is also just slightly above average (for a normal person) with his 6-6 wingspan, but still has solid size at 6-5 in shoes, which will allow him to play either guard position effectively in the NBA. Donte Greene doesn’t have much length to speak of either at 6-10. Derrick Rose is the real deal on paper as well at 6-3 ½ in shoes with a 6-7 wingspan, as is Michael Beasley at 6-9 and his 7-0 wingspan. Alexis Ajinca is an absolute freak of a human being, standing 7-1 with a 7-9 wingspan. As you can see in this table, he would be the longest player measured in NBA pre-draft camp history if he indeed measures out that way in Orlando this year, which is not always a give-in we must say. Scouts will also like Nicolas Batum’s measurements, at 6-8 with a 7-1 wingspan.